Increased regulation of the online gambling sector will benefit gamblers
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The Commission's latest range of regulatory measures have been introduced to safeguard the most vulnerable customers. Since its broad legalisation in the 1960s, gambling in UK was largely undertaken through high street betting shops, bingo halls and amusement arcades. The advent of the Internet resulted in an expansion of online betting and casino houses.
The UK Gambling Commission has introduced new regulations to protect the most vulnerable customers of online gambling. The advent of the Internet has led to the expansion of gambling online. The Commission's regulations have included limiting stakes on fixed odds betting terminals and introducing responsible gambling tools for all online casinos and betting companies.
In 2019, the maximum stake for fixed odds betting machines will be reduced from £100 to £2. The industry expected similar restrictions to be introduced to online casino games. The Gambling Commission’s round of measures announced in 2021 introduced a range of restrictions. They included minimising spin speeds, permanent bans on auto-play features and restrictions on misleading in-game features.
Bet365, Playtech and GVC signed up to a series of pledges in 2019 in a bid to self-regulate. UK Gambling Commission deemed these measures insufficient and pushed on with reforms to further safeguard online gamblers. One such reform was a ban over the use of credit cards at online casinos and betting firms. Some of the online gamers had run up tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt on their credit card.
In some overseas territories, such as France, Japan and New Zealand, online slots are banned completely. In 2018, the US Supreme Court legalised sports betting. Individual US states have the final say on which sports bets and online casinos are allowed. The US gambling industry is open to abuse. Tight regulations are there to safeguard players and to ensure that businesses are incentivised to thrive in socially responsible ways. The UK Gambling Commission’s mission statement to make gambling safe, fair, and crime-free is finally bearing fruit.
